


Liquid Exuberance

by RovingRomy



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 14:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10810668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RovingRomy/pseuds/RovingRomy
Summary: Keyleth and Vax in their own drunken states.





	Liquid Exuberance

Honestly, Vax is kind of impressed with how much Keyleth can drink.

It’s not like she can keep pace with Grog, or even Pike (which is a fascinating mystery all on it’s own). But Keyleth is relatively small, so the fact that she can toss so many back before being completely and totally shitfaced is impressive.

Sometimes he thinks back to the girl he met in Stillbend, the girl who had never had ale before, who had coughed up most of the first gulp of whiskey she’d taken from his flask. That girl would be trashed from two cups of ale. She’s built up quite the tolerance since then.

There are times when Vax wonders if he should be worried about that, but he probably doesn’t have much room to talk. And when it’s something like this, the group in a tavern celebrating some rare good fortune, Keyleth’s smile stretching wide across her face as she laughs with their friends, they’re all too carried away by the happiness and joy surrounding them for him to really worry.

Vax drinks a bit, but decides to take it easy for the most part. Everyone is smiling and laughing and happy, and it’s something he’d like to remember clearly.

Keyleth is particularly adorable when she’s drinking. At least when she’s drinking for a happy reason. She’s exceedingly friendly, she tells terrible jokes that she laughs uproariously at, and she can get painfully honest, her eyes wide and earnest as she tells Grog how much she admires him, as she tells Percy that he’s much more tolerable now that he’s “getting lucky” (Keyleth’s words) on a regular basis, as she asks Vex if the other woman has found that sex has done wonders for her complexion.

She also gets incredibly affectionate, and now that they’re together, Vax finds himself on the receiving end of that more than anyone else. While she’s usually more reserved with the physical affection she shows him when they’re around other people, after a few drinks it’s like there’s a magnet pulling her to him and she latches on to him, her fingers tangled with his, her arms wrapped around his waist as she presses smiling kisses to his cheek.

That’s where she’s at now, her hand gripping his hip as she leans up, giggling as she leaves a series of light kisses down his jaw. Vax turns his head, quick enough that it surprises her in her inebriated state, and captures her lips with his, one hand coming up to hold her cheek while the arm that’s wrapped around her shoulders pulls her closer. Keyleth hums into the kiss, giggling again as they break apart, and leans her head against his shoulder, looking up at him. Her gaze is so unguarded, so openly loving and affectionate, it almost takes his breath away. He smiles down at her, reaching up to push her messy hair back from her face.

“Hi,” he says, his smile widening.

“Hi,” she responds in a soft almost-whisper.

“Gross,” Vex says from the other side of the table, her face distorting in disgust, despite the fact that Percy’s arm is wrapped around her, her legs drapped over his lap. Percy’s other hand strokes absentmindedly at her knee as he keeps an eye on Grog, Scanlan, and Pike up at the bar as the trio throws back shots, his watch on them careful and a bit concerned.

“They’ve gone through quite a few rounds up there,” Percy observes, turning to look at the rest of the people at the table. “Grog tends to want to fight when he gets incredibly drunk, and Pike is usually pretty enthusiastic about jumping in.”

“Thinking we should be getting ready to roll out?” Vax asks, looking over his shoulder at where Grog, Pike, and Scanlan are laughing at the bar. Pike and Grog each throw back another shot, but Scanlan is starting to look a little worse for wear.

“Probably not a bad idea,” the other man says. “Besides, your girlfriend looks like she might be getting some ideas in her head that wouldn’t be a good idea for public consumption.”

That’s probably true, Vax realizes. Keyleth is nuzzling her nose beneath his ear, peppering light kisses to the corner of his jaw while her hand roams over his stomach, sliding around to grasp at his hip.

Vex makes gagging noises at the display as Vax blushes, unable to help the smile that’s pulling at the corners of his lips. “Come on, druid,” he says, grabbing Keyleth’s wandering hand as he sits up straighter, pulling back a bit to look down at her. “Time to go home.”

“Mmm, sounds like a good idea,” she responds, leaning into him as he starts to stand. He helps her up, an arm going around her waist to hold her up.

“Do you think you guys can wrangle the others?” Vax asks Percy and Vex, his expression growing doubtful as Vex stumbles a bit upon a standing.

“Of course,” his sister says. “Get started on home with drunky there. We won’t be far behind.”

As if on cue, Grog’s voice rings out through the bar - “What the hell are you looking at, fuckface?!” - leaving Vex and Percy to exchange an annoyed, exasperated look between them.

“Hopefully,” Percy amends.

Vax smiles at them sympathetically, but he can’t really bring himself to feel all that bad about not staying to help. He’s most definitely not in the mood for a bar fight, and he’s got a beautiful woman with wandering hands and lips on his arm.  Home is definitely where he wants to be heading right now.

When they finally make their way back to the Keep, Vax helps Keyleth up to their room, making sure she’s okay to change for bed herself before heading down to the kitchen to grab some of Laina’s homemade bread and a large cask of water. He heads back to the room, and when he walks through the door he finds Keyleth laying on the bed on her stomach, her head at the foot, dressed in one of his shirts.

“Where’d you get that?” he asks, motioning to the shirt she’s wearing as he sets down the bread and water on the vanity.

“On the floor,” she says, rolling over onto her back. “You always leave your clothes on the floor. Why do you always leave your clothes on the floor? You shouldn’t do that.”

“I don’t always leave my clothes on the floor,” he counters, sitting down next to her.

“You left this on the floor.”

“Well,” Vax says, leaning over so that he’s hovering above her, holding his weight on his elbow. “ _You_ were the one who took it off of me last night. So _you’re_ the one who left it on the floor.  Remember?”

Her smile grows slowly as a blush spreads across her cheeks. “Oh. Yeah,” she whispers, her hand cupping his cheek and then running down his neck and his chest. Vax leans over and kisses her, his lips moving slowly over hers. Keyleth pushes her fingers into his hair, tugging at it the way he likes, the way that always makes him groan. When he pulls back his breathing is heavy, and when he looks down at Keyleth she’s biting her lip, grinning at him in a way that’s almost coquettish. He chuckles, pressing a kiss to her forehead before standing up and heading over to the vanity.

“Sit up,” he says as he grabs the bread and water. “Have some of this so that you don’t feel like complete shit in the morning.”

Keyleth takes what he offers into her unsteady hands as she sits up. Vax watches her, warily, concerned that she might drop the heavy cask for a moment until she steadies, bringing the cup to her lips and taking a long drink from it.

“That shirt’s probably dirty and smelly,” Vax says as he kicks his boots off and starts undressing for bed. “Are you sure you want to wear it?”

“Hmm,” she hums out around a mouthful of bread, nodding her head in an almost exaggerated way. “I like it. It smells like you.”

A warm feeling spreads through his chest at her words. Vax loves Keyleth just the way she is, and he genuinely isn’t bothered by the fact that she tends to be guarded and has a hard time putting her feelings into words. He knows how she feels, and he doesn’t need a lot of words to affirm it. But he’d be lying if he said he doesn’t enjoy drunken, open Keyleth, who blurts out what she feels without much worry or care. It’s not better than what he normally gets from her, just different, and he appreciates it whenever it happens.

Vax sits on the bed next to Keyleth, taking the empty cask from her. “You good?”

She nods, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he says, setting the cup on the nightstand.

When he turns back around, she’s up on her knees, moving toward him clumsly. Her arms move around his neck and his hands go to her hips reflexively as she sinks into his lap in a sort of messy heap.

“I love you,” she says, her bleary eyes looking straight into his clear, sober eyes. “I love you so much. You make me so happy.”

Vax finds himself having to swallow past a lump in his throat, blinking rapidly to fight against the sudden sting of tears at the back of his eyes. “I love you, too. You have no idea how happy you make me.”

She drops a light kiss on his lips before settling her head in the crook of his neck, her arms re-situating to wrap around his middle. His arms go around her shoulders, holding her close as he leans his cheek against the top of her head, shifting to press a kiss into her hair. After a few minutes he carefully scoots back toward the pillows, lying down with Keyleth still pressed against him.

“You’re going to love Zephra,” she says after a long while, her voice quiet and sleepy. “It’s wonderful. Quiet and peaceful. Lots of space, you know? Space in the sky to fly around. Space on the ground to run around. Safe, too. Good place for kids.”

His heart skips a beat. “Kids, huh?” he says, trying to keep the tremor from his voice.

“Yeah,” she responds, her words coming slower and her voice breathier as she drifts closer to sleep. “I loved being a kid there. I think our kids will love it even more.”

“I bet they will,” he whispers, his heart soaring. They hadn’t really made many plans for the future beyond the vague idea of just having one. Vax promising to go to Zephra with her was the closest thing to planning they had done, and the closer they come to being able to follow through on that part of the plan the more Vax has wondered about what exactly Keyleth wants for the future, or if she’s even thought of it. He never thought he’d even have a future, so he’s honestly down for pretty much whatever she wants, as long as he gets to be with her.

He’d be lying, though, if he were to say that he hadn’t started picturing pale little half elves, with his eyes, stealth ability, and sense of humor, and her hair, strength, and magical power. Knowing that she’s been thinking about the same thing, that it might be what she wants… it makes their future seem more real, more definite, and it fills him with a joy that’s completely unfamiliar.

Keyleth’s breath becomes deep and steady as she falls asleep. Vax stays awake, enjoying the feeling of her in his arms for awhile, before he finally closes his eyes, letting sleep take him.

Most nights he dreams of the Raven Queen, but this night he finds himself dreaming of two tiny, red haired half elves with dark eyes and wide smiles.

* * *

Vax, Percy, Grog, and Scanlan had gone to town almost four hours ago to run some errands, and Keyleth is starting to worry. Vex has been waving off her concern, but Keyleth can see the stiffness in the other woman’s posture, the way her eyes keep going to the large clock in the library. And she knows if Vex is worried, then there’s probably something to be worried about.

She’s staring at a page about the followers of Orcus, not taking in any of the words, when the sound of the laughter echoes down the hallway. Keyleth and Vex exchange confused, concerned glances before racing to the door, stepping into the hallway to see what’s going on.

At the other end of the hall they see Vax and Percy, stumbling toward the library, their arms wrapped around each other as they lean against one another, trying not to fall over. They’re snickering, almost giggling even. Percy lifts his head and sees Keyleth and Vex watching them. “Ah. There’re our girls,” he slurs out as they come closer.

Vax looks up and follows his eyes, his smile growing when it lands on the two women standing in front of the library door. “My favorite girls,” he says, reaching out to place his hand on Keyleth’s shoulder, only managing to brush her skin with his fingertips. “My beautiful sister and my beautiful girlfriend.”

Keyleth giggles, but when she looks over at the woman beside her, Vex is looking pretty unimpressed. “So you two went drinking?” Vex asks, arching a brow.

“We all went drinking,” Percy says, somehow still managing to seem haughty and pompous even while trashed. “Scanlan and Grog, too.”

“Oh, gods,” Vex groans. “Where are they?”

“Pike’s got ‘em,” Vax answers. “She was pretty mad that we didn’t invite her.” He squints his eyes as he studies his sister’s face, looking at her for a long, silent moment before saying, “Are you mad 'cause we didn’t invite you, too?”

“No,” Vex says, her voice flat. “That is not why I’m upset. I’m not upset. I’m annoyed.”

“Come on, Vex,” Keyleth says, trying to diffuse the situation. “They had a few drinks. It’s not a big deal.”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t have to take care of this one.” She lifts her chin, motioning to Percy. “Vax is a breeze compared to him. I’m tempted to just let him deal with it by himself and let that be a lesson.”

“It’s not like he’s never taken care of you when you were drunk,” Keyleth reminds her as she reaches out and takes Vax’s hand. She pulls him toward her, wrapping an arm around his waist as he stumbles. Vax wraps his own arm around her shoulders, turning his head to bury his nose in her hair.

“You smell nice,” he mumbles out, nuzzling his nose further into her hair.

Without Vax for support, Percy loses his balance, stumbling a bit and almost falling. Vex catches him, mirroring Keyleth’s hold on Vax, and heaves out a heavy sigh. “Fine. But you owe me, Percy.” She starts steering them down hall, toward the end that Vax and Percy had come from, heading for her and Percy’s room.

Keyleth looks up at Vax, who’s smiling down at her. “Hi,” he says, his voice little more than a whisper.

“Hi,” she says, giggling.

“I missed you,” he says, ducking his head to press his forehead against her jaw.

“You were gone for a few hours,” she reminds him. “And it seems like you had a pretty good time.”

“Yeah, but I always miss you when you aren’t with me,” he says, kissing her cheek.

A faint blush spreads over her cheeks and she feels a flutter in a stomach at his words. She wonders if she’ll ever get used to it, the way Vax makes her feel. Like she’s special, like she’s wanted, like maybe she’s not quite so alone.

“That’s sweet,” she responds as she starts guiding him toward their bedroom, their pace slow and careful.

The door to their room closes behind them as Keyleth plops Vax down onto the bed. Amazingly, he’s able to stay sitting up, his arms reaching out behind him to catch himself before he leans forward, slumping over a bit. She kneels in front of him, unlacing his boots and pulling them off.

Vax’s hand clumsily finds her cheek, drawing her eyes to his. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he asks her, his words slurring slightly.

Keyleth moves up on her knees so that she’s closer to his face, her hands sliding over the sides of his neck, her thumbs stroking his jaw. “I do,” she says. “And I love you just as much.”

“Nope,” he says, shaking his head with a small smile. “Not possible.”

“Possible,” she counters. “And true.”

She takes a moment to let his warm smile fill up her heart before leaning forward and capturing his lips with hers. It’s a relatively chaste kiss, but the way Vax’s arms wrap around her, pulling her close before one hand comes up to hold her cheek, his touch careful and delicate, like she’s so, so precious, makes her heart pound and tears come to her eyes.

Vax’s eyes are on her the whole time she’s unlacing his armor, taking it off and helping him get ready for bed. She can feel him watching her, and while with anyone else that would make her nervous and uncomfortable, it’s different with Vax. It makes her feel beautiful and loved, and when she meets his eyes his smile makes her breath catch. She smiles back, leaning up to leave a peck on his lips. “Time for bed.”

He sort of spider-walks up the bed toward the pillows, falling back against them heavily. “It’s cold without you,” he says.

“I’ll be there in a second,” she responds as she takes off her dress and pulls a nightgown over her head. She knows he’s still watching her, and she kind of loves it, the way he watches her change with no shame whatsoever. Feeling beautiful and sexy is kind of new to her, but it’s a feeling she likes, and knowing that Vax wants to watch her, that he wants to see her body, gives her more confidence in her physical appearance than she’s ever had.

When she turns around and walks toward the bed she sees that his eyelids are heavy, his eyes barely open as he watches her. She slides into bed next to him and he gathers her up in his arms, holding her close as his fingers find their way into her hair. “You okay?” she asks.

“I’m better than okay,” Vax responds, his voice low and quiet. “I’d be okay if we could just stay like this forever.”

“I’m betting you’ll be signing a different tune in the morning,” she says, a laugh in her voice.

“I can’t wait,” he says, his fingers soothing her as they run through her hair.

“For the morning?” she asks, her voice confused even as her words start to run together as she relaxes.

“To spend the rest of my life with you,” he says.

She can’t help the smile that spreads across her face. Drunk Vax really isn’t that different from Sober Vax, at least in this regard. He’s always open and affectionate, never hesitant to kiss her, to hold her hand, and to tell her he loves her, whether they’re alone or with other people. But he does get just a bit more unguarded when he’s drinking, willing to talk about things they’re usually too scared to talk about. That’s usually their future.

They’re both still scared that they might not have a future together, especially with the fight against Orcus looming on the horizon. So they tend to not talk about it. But knowing that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her, even knowing that means going back to Zephra with her and settling down, giving up the life of constant adventure… it makes her feel more loved than anything else ever could.

Keyleth lifts her head, looking up to find Vax’s eyes closed, his mouth hanging open just a bit, even breaths puffing in and out. She brings her hand up to push his hair away from his face, stroking his cheek on her way down. He’s definitely out, sleeping the deep sleep of those who have had way too much ale and whiskey in way too short of a timespan. Nevertheless, she presses a kiss to his cheek, lingering there with her forehead pressed to his temple.

“I can’t wait, either,” she whispers, and even though he’s asleep, his arm tightens around her as she rests her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, strong and steady, beneath her ear, letting it lull her to sleep.


End file.
